School Post

Wow, I have not blogged in so long!  I am currently enrolled at BYU-Idaho.  I am going for my Bachelor's degree and only have 5 classes left until I get it!  I'm so excited to be done!!  My poor old brain just doesn't work the way it used to.  Anyway...  I am taking a Religion class right now and one of the weekly assignments is to write something [talk, essay, blog post, family home evening lesson, etc] about what we are learning.  This week I chose to do a blog post.  I'm guessing no one reads my blog anymore, it has been 7+ years since my last post, I think.  Maybe more.  But, here we go anyway...

We are studying the New Testament.  [Can I say I'm kind of struggling?]  I have actually never read the Bible.  Yep, you read that correctly...  I have read the Book of Mormon many times, and I think I prefer it better because I find it easier to understand.  The Bible is harder for me.  Anyway, this week we were reading in Mark, Luke and John.  We had to choose 3 gospel principles from our reading.  The one I am going to write about today is 'Miracles can happen through prayer and fasting.'  I believe miracles happen more often than we think.  I believe miracles can happen in our everyday lives.  These miracles may not be something as grand as raising someone from the dead or parting the Red Sea, but I know miracles happen to us all the time.  I've hear some people call these small miracles 'tender mercies'.  As I reflect on my life, I have been blessed with many tender mercies.  Let's not even talk about the fire and the miracles that happened there, along with a myriad of tender mercies...  But since that time we have been very blessed.  Michael faithfully served a mission for 2 years [some might say that was a miracle], Christina received a scholarship to swim in college, Amanda is an honor student and is able to participate in club swim, Ryan and Tyler are able to participate in club soccer.  My kids have been blessed with good friends who encourage them to be better people.  David, through all of the ups and downs, has a good job.  I have a job that I love.  These things alone are all things I'm not sure would be possible if we had stayed in the Bay Area.  Little miracles have included a nurse telling me I didn't need to pay the ER bill from Michael's broken arm.  Michael crashing his car on the freeway and walking away without injury to himself or anyone else. Christina recovering from an injury that ended her college swim career.  My friend and I finding our 4 little boys after they went missing in the neighborhood. I know these, and many more, were the result of much prayer.  I also know that fasting can bring about miracles.  A friend of mine was struggling with stage 4 breast cancer and was in a bad way.  We fasted and prayed for her.  She soon felt better and was able to resume a fairly normal life, for a while [She died about a year later, but I'm so grateful for the extra time we had with her].  Fasting for family members who have struggled to find jobs, have been sick or were undergoing surgeries.  Jobs were found, they were healed and the surgeries went well.  Through all the fasting and prayer, I believe Faith is also a major component in recognizing and receiving these little miracles that we all experience.

I am so grateful for the miracles in my life.  I know my family has been blessed and I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned through my trials.  It helps my faith grow and reminds me to lean on the Lord for help.  He will help us, we just have to ask.

Ryan turns Seven!

I cannot believe he is seven already! It was a very busy day, but we managed to have some fun. Happy Birthday Big Guy!

Snow in AZ???

I don't know that you could call it snow, but it did look like we had snow yesterday. It was stormy all night. When we woke up it wasn't raining anymore, but it was wet. David, Michael and Ryan were preparing to leave for the Nascar race and the rest of us were getting ready for church. Not 5 minutes after they left, it starts pouring! But not just rain. It is hailing! After a couple minutes the hail turned to slush. The kids were screaming 'Mom, you have to come see this!' I had sent the camera with David to the races, so all I had was my phone. I snapped a few pictures. We should have been leaving for church, but none of us wanted to go out in the storm. So we sat and watched, hoping it would let up. Sure enough, it did. We were just a tad bit late for church, but there were a lot of other people that, I think, had the same idea we did.
The trampoline looked like it had a blanket of snow on it.

Amanda and Tyler were trying to catch some in their hands.

The front yard had a blanket of white as well.

A friend at church told me her son wanted to stay home and make a snowman! When she said no, he asked if he could make one when they got home. It was funny. Of course, when we got home the sky was clear, no more rain and no more 'snow' on the ground.

Lost Tooth

Ryan lost his first tooth on Sunday Jan 16th.


He has been wriggleing his tooth for weeks trying to get it out. Sunday he asked David to 'Please pull it out Daddy!' David grabbed a napkin and pulled, pretty hard and finally said -again- 'Sorry, bud. It's just not ready.' Well that was not good enough for Ryan. He grabbed that napkin and pulled and yanked and pulled some more. Then he looked up at me with a look of shock on his face 'I pulled it!!! I pulled it!!!' He started screaming and laughing. He was so excited that he had finally pulled his first tooth out of his mouth.

Housewife?? Hardly!!

So I have come to the realization that I am NOT a housewife! I receive NO pleasure in cleaning up after my kids, doing mountains of laundry, scrubbing toilets or cooking dinner. Now, this is not a new discovery, just a public one now. I am coming out and declaring 'I AM NOT A HOUSEWIFE!!!!!' I'm not trying to be perfect at it, not even trying to be good at it. Just trying to DO it! When we moved here, I told David I wanted to stay home. Thought it would be 'fun' to hang out with my kids all day, go to the park, hang out with other moms, go to the zoo... Well, give me a job ANYDAY!!! See, that is what it was like when I was a nanny. It WAS fun! We did all kinds of fun things. Why is it different then? Oh, maybe because I am also paying bills, doing ALL the housework, oh and I don't get off work at 7pm to go have 'me' time. You know, hand the kids over to someone else to take care of. I have a friend that likes being a housewife. She even says she is really good at it. I know she is. Why can I not even begin to even resemble a housewife?? Well, maybe this is why. I have come to realize a few things over the last 2 years...

First... I HATE running errands!!! Really, I do. I have never run errands before. Don't be shocked at this. David always ran the errands. Remember, he was a stay home dad for 10 years. I hate the Post Office, I hate the Gas Station, I hate the DMV, I hate shopping, I really don't enjoy any and all errands that must be done. The only thing I don't hate is going to the Grocery Store - but only late at night when I don't have kids with me and I can take my time wandering up and down the isles, meandering through the store while thinking about whatever I want uninterrupted. But then I buy a whole bunch of stuff I don't need. So, I hate running errands.

Second... I am LAZY!! I must be. I have no idea what I have accomplished in my days at home. I REALLY need to snap out of this. Another friend recently sold her business to stay home with her kids. She said something like 'I hope I can keep doing the same amount of stuff in a day that I did when I had the business.' I laughed. I use to do so much when I had my business. I was always running! ALWAYS!! I was so busy! But now I feel like I don't do anything! I can make a list of things I need to do, but by the end of the day, only one or two of the items are crossed off. Must be laziness...

Third... My brain is MUSH!! That list I just talked about. Yeah, the list only happens when I remember all the things I need to do (ok, not ALL). I usually only think of them as I am snuggled in my bed half asleep. 'Oh, I need to do ---- tomorrow, oh and ----, and I can't forget to do ----. Really, why can't I think of them when I have pen and paper in hand? I try, but alas, the thoughts are gone when I try to make a list. I cannot remember a THING!!

Fourth... Why Clean??? Really! You've heard the saying 'It's like shoveling snow in a snowstorm'. That would be my house! Why bother?!?!? I get it clean, spotless! Kids come home from school and all of the sudden, I can't see the kitchen counters or the carpet because there are wrappers, papers, schoolwork, notices, fundraisers, backpacks, shoes, socks and all kinds of -who knows what- all over my nice clean -or use to be clean- house! So why even try???

Those are just a few. Another question that comes to mind... Why is it that when I am sick I can't call in sick? I still have to be the Mom, housekeeper, cook, dutiful wife, nurse, taxi... I was not feeling well recently and I laid down to take a nap. When I got up the house was a wreck, the kids were out of control, dinner wasn't being prepared and everyone was yelling at me to do something! And where is their dad? Sitting in a chair, reading!! Really??? What's up with THAT??? Oh, and never mind that I WORK A JOB TOO!

So, I don't mean to complain. I just don't seem to be getting the hang of this whole housewife thing. Do women really find JOY in being a housewife?? Do you really enjoy doing housework? Cooking? Paying bills? I just don't get it! Maybe some of us are wired to be housewives and some of us are wired to be in the work force. I have wondered what things would be like if I did find a full time 'career' type job and David were to stay home again. Hmmm... Would it be better? Would I be happier? Or do I always want what I don't have?

Probably the last one.

We are a Foster Family!

It all started last Sunday. We were invited to our neighbors house for a Christmas Open House and while there we got talking with another neighbor. She was telling us how they are fostering a liter of 6 rotweiler puppies, only 12 days old. We asked a lot of questions, told her we thought it would be cool to do that and she invited us to come over and see them. Well, Monday night she came to our house and asked if we were serious about the possibility of fostering. We said we hadn't really discussed it, and then she told us that the Rescue she was working with was looking for more families to foster more dogs/puppies. She told us that there was a liter of chocolate labs, a liter of chihuahua's and a few others that needed homes. Unfortunately the labs and chihuahua's were scheduled to be put down the next day if they couldn't find someone to take them. We said we would take the labs. Unfortunately, we were too late. So on Tuesday she showed us a picture of a liter of black labs that were just dropped off at a local shelter that needed someone to take them. We said YES!! But, once again... too late. I'm not really even sure why they were put down, they were only at the shelter for a day! They were only 3 weeks old. :( So the lady called us today and said she had just pulled 7 dogs out of the shelter and had 2 boxer mix puppies. We said YES again. Well, about 2 hours later she delivered our little foster puppies! They are so stinking cute!!! The kids are so excited to have these little guys.







The black one is male, the brown one is female.


The brown one likes to get in the bowl to eat!

So, what does fostering mean? Well, we are still learning, but basically you agree to take on a dog/puppy or a liter of puppies and care for them until they can adopt them out. They have puppies as well as older dogs. While we have them, we can try to find people to adopt them by word of mouth or craigslist. The potential owner then is screened and if everything checks out, they get to adopt the dog. Sometimes there is a re-homing fee of only $50-$100, and they have to agree to spay or neuter the dog before a certain date. As a foster family, we care for the dog/puppies. Basically just love them and make sure they are healthy and fed. The Rescue pays for all the vet visits and will reimburse for dog food (or you can pay for the food and call it a donation). You keep the dog/puppies until they are adopted, or until you feel you can't keep them any longer. We felt like it would be a great experience for the kids. They want a dog so bad, but we don't really want the long committment of having one, paying for vet bills, food and all the things involved with having a dog. We have had dogs before and know they are expensive and a huge committment. So we thought this would be a great way to get a puppy fix and teach the kids how to care for animals and help rescue them. So if anyone out there -locally- wants to foster a dog or puppies, let me know. The rescue is called Helping Orphaned Hounds. Or, if you want to adopt one of these little guys, let me know. Besides the 7 she pulled froma local shelter, she had 17 more coming in from So Cal. All of them needing a foster home.

I'm sure we will be posting more pictures of these two cuties, as well as others yet to come!

Happy Birthday Christina!

Today is Christina's birthday. She is 13, a teenager. Christina is such a beautiful girl. Both inside and out. I am so happy she is my daughter. She makes friends easily. She has a heart of gold. She is so helpful around the house. She cooks, cleans, babysits and is willing to do pretty much anything I ask of her. She is a loyal friend. She just wants to make people happy. She has a great laugh. She loves to have fun. She loves baking. She is a great swimmer. She is creative and crafty. She is active - almost never sitting still. She is entertaining. She gives great foot massages and back rubs. She is sweet and kind and giving. She is thoughtful. She truly is a blessing in our lives. I love you, Christina! Happy Birthday!

Since I don't have my camera, and can't figure out how to get pictures from David's onto my computer right now, I thought I would post some past pictures of Christina.














Love you sweetie!! Happy Birthday!

Catching up, again...

Ok, I started that last post back on November 8th, I guess, and never finished it. I sorta forgot about it. I went ahead and published it, but thought I should probably do a new one.

Still haven't found the camera. Grrr... So no pictures of the house yet. I will have to use David's camera and get some posted. There just won't be before and after pics. Oh well. We have been so busy! We have pulled out almost all the shrubs and plants in both the backyard and front. Ahhh... I have wanted to do that since before we moved in. It looks so different without them. I can't wait for David to work his magic with the landscaping here. We have 6 trees in the front yard. Yes, 6! Wait, maybe 7... Anyway, trying to decide which ones stay and which ones go. I have my opinion, but I don't think David and I agree. I'm sure the shade in the summer is nice, but it would also be nice to see the front of the house from the street, I think. Although, the privacy is nice too. Ugh... Like I said, trying to decide how many stay. Haven't made much progress with the painting. But, all the Christmas decor is up and the boxes are gone, for the most part. Not put away, just shoved into closets! But... we got some FURNITURE!!!! That is soooo exciting!! You have no idea. To be without furniture for 2 1/2 years, it's so nice to actually have a kitchen table to eat on. We also got 2 leather club chairs (love them!!!), a coffee table, bar stools and our couch is ready to be picked up! Yay! It's starting to look like we actually live here! Now, if only I had stuff to put up on the walls! Working on that...

Amanda turned 8 in November and was baptized. It was such a wonderful event. We had 11 people come and stay with us - in our new house. It was great! They all stayed here and we weren't on top of each other. We played games every night -haven't done that in YEARS! That was so much fun! It was so nice to have everyone come from far away to help celebrate with Amanda. We really had a great time!

David's parents stayed until Thanksgiving. It was really nice to have them here with us for that. I actually baked my first apple pie. It was so easy (thanks to my firend Markelle, for the easy recipe). And it was so yummy!!! It was a dutch apple pie, so it had the crumbly top. I also used fresh apples that my mom brought me from their trees. It was a very yummy dinner.

Michael made the High School Soccer team. Yay Michael! He plays keeper and does a great job. He really enjoys it. With practice everyday after school, he is a bit more tired every night. They have played 2 games and have another game this week. I don't think they have won one yet, but they will. He started the last game and no goals were scored on him. But then they switched out keepers and 2 goals were scored. He was a little bummed, but it's all good. I think they tied that game.

Amanda was in a 2nd grade Christmas Program last night. It was such a cute program. She was a reindeer, Cupid. She took her part very seriously and listened to every instruction given by Ms. Wilson. She memorized her lines (and everyone else's!!), she practiced the songs (nonstop for 2 weeks), she practiced her dance moves (the reindeer had a dance scene) and she did a great job. I think she may have enjoyed being on stage more than I ever thought any of my children would. She absolutely loved it! We may have started something with this. Time will tell...

I don't think I mentioned that Ryan had a birthday back in September. He is now 6! He loves kidergarten and is doing really well. He is so excited to go to school everyday. So excited that he is up and ready to go, usually by 6am!! He has made many new friends and is learning so much.

Tyler is enjoying pre-school. He will be 4 next week! Crazy! He has come a long way in his speech. I pretty much understand just about everything he says. He is talking nonstop!! David often tells him that if he keeps talking so much he will run out of words byt the time he is an adult. He tells him that we are only allowed so many words in a lifetime and he's going to run out. He and Ryan love playing with all the boys on the street. We pretty much don't see them from the minute we get home from school until it's dark. There are LOTS of boys on our new street.

Christina... Today is Christina's birthday!! See next post that is all about her!

I guess that pretty much does it. Looking forward to a Merry Christmas and a fun visit with family in the snow!

Hello World

I have been hearing, a lot lately, that I need to update my blog. I guess I do. It's been a little while. Why does my life seem so boring? I have thought about things I could blog, but then I get busy doing... who knows what, and then they just don't seem so important. But I guess a couple of changes need to be mentioned.

We have moved! It has been one crazy month! We moved a whole half mile from where we were before, but alas... it means a new ward, a new stake and a new elementary school. It seems so crazy, but we jumped to the other side of Recker and our entire world has changed. It has been a bit of mixed emotions. We are so excited to be in our own place again! It is much bigger than the rental we were in. I am not stepping on Lego's strewn throughout the house. We can paint, decorate and do whatever we want to the place! That, in itself, is thrilling. But I was very sad to leave our ward. We really felt we belonged there. We made some great friends and I know that they are still friends, we are still very close, but you know how it is... So close but yet, it sometimes feels like so far.

So, we moved over Fall Break. We grossly underestimated the painting that needed to be done. We thought we would be able to get it done in 2 days. HA!! 10 gallons of primer, 5 gallons of white, I think we are at 10 gallons of various colors, and we are not done yet! The downstairs is almost done -a bathroom and guest room is left. We still have Amanda's room, bathroom, bonus room (aka The Bunk House) and the Master bedroom and bathroom left to do. Amanda's room is next. It is so overwhelming. There are soooo many things we want to do with the house. I have to try to focus on just one thing at a time. Which I do not do very well. I tend to look at the whole big picture, get completely overwhelmed and just shut down. Ugh... Not to mention all the boxes that are still all over the place. I hate moving! Luckily, we don't plan to move until all the kids are done with High School. Unfortunately, with all the chaos going on, I have lost my camera. I took 'before' pictures, 'during' pics of the kids painting and have now lost my camera. It's highly annoying! So, when I find it, I will be able to post pictures.

The other big 'event' that has happened is David got promoted! Yay!! He has worked so hard and it has finally happened. I am so proud of him and excited for this new change. (I think...) His hours will change a little, they will be a bit better, I think. He has worked with the Store Manager of his new store before. They get along very well, so I think he will be happy in this new position, or at least with this store manager. He will be working longer shifts, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, but I think it will be alright.

Almost June

Wow, time flies!! It's almost June! I can't possible re-cap everything from the past couple months, so here are just a few highlights. Let's see...
Christina fractured her finger -somehow- and ended up going to school with a splint on April Fool's Day. Everyone thought she was faking and it was a prank. I had to send a Doctor's note so her teachers would know it was for real! She couldn't play her clarinet, so she ended up playing percussion. She didn't like it much at first, but ended up embracing it and played both percussion and clarinet in her last band concert. She starts Jr. High next year! Can't believe it!!
Michael broke his finger a little over a week ago in PE at school. We will be seeing a hand specialist on Tuesday, he may need surgery to insert a pin. We are hoping that won't be necessary. Our Home Teacher came over and looked at the x-rays and he even said it's borderline. He may or may not need surgery. Crossing our fingers. He is suppose to be going to Scout Camp on Tuesday for the week. This is a different camp than they usually do. They only go every 4 years to this one. I am so sad that he may not be able to go. Michael starts High School next year! Ugh! Where did time go?!? A High Schooler??

Ryan will go to kindergarten in the fall. Tyler will stay in pre-school and Amanda starts 2nd grade. Hopefully all 3 of them will be at the same school. That would make life a bit easier.

We have been out on the lake a few times already. I love being on the water. It is so relaxing, there is no better place to be. It's my happy place! Unfortunately Michael won't be doing much wakeboarding this summer with his broken finger and all. But I am sure he will make up for lost time.

David is still at his same job. Still hoping for a promotion! I got a new job with the Town of Gilbert and I LOVE it!!! I was able to quit my other jobs and just do this one. I can't say how much I LOVE this job. It is so laid back and easy going. There is no drama, no politics, no stress. I am so happy there. I turned a year older this month! Still under 40, but just a tiny bit!

We are looking for a house. We have found two that we love and hope to be putting an offer on one of them next week. It's such a big decision. And as always, I am over analyzing it way too much. But hopefully we will be getting into our own home again soon. Then we can order all our furniture and feel like we are finally 'permanent' here. lol... It's exciting and a little stressful at times. But I know it will all work out in the end.

My parents were able to come and visit. That was really fun having them here with us. It always goes so fast! Wish they could've stayed longer, but alas, they had to go back home. Really hoping to get the chance to head north to see them -and all our family there- this summer. David's parents were also here in April. They came for Michael's birthday. They stayed at a resort in Scottsdale, so we took the kids up a few times so they could swim in the pools and hang out. Some of the kids spent the night with them a couple of times. We loved seeing them and spending time with them. They ended up being able to stay longer than originally planned, so that was really nice having that extra time with them. It's always fun to have family visit.

So, here's to summer. Bring it on!!! Hot days -and nights. Lake trips. Swimming in the pool. Summer movies. Hanging out with friends. And hopefully, a move into a new home!

Where did February go??

Just a quick re-cap of the last few weeks.

Michael - Spending much time on the phone each night with a couple of girls. Hmmm... Got his phone taken away, so said girls have been calling the house late at night looking for him, 11pm or later. Hmmmm.... Hanging with Kai. Wakeboarding on Presidents Day. Running track. Enjoying new membership at the Y, working out, taking an athletic training class and swimming in the pool.

Christina - Possibly spends too much time with her friends. Is that possible? Practicing very hard for the Honor Band Auditions coming up this weekend - Clarinet. Babysitting, babysitting and more babysitting. Also enjoying the new membership at the Y. Loves swimming, taking a class and walking on the treadmill. Science Camp is just around the corner and David and I are a little surprised that Christina is going. We weren't able to chaperone, so we thought she'd back out, but she is excited to go. Amanda writes her notes and has cried a few times about how much she is going to miss her while she is gone. This makes Christina cry too. But, she will be fine and we know she will have a great time.

Amanda - Loves reading her books. She likes to memorize some books and then 'read' them to me while she looks away from the book. Playing with friends. Coloring pictures. Loves going to the 'gym' and playing in the Kid Area with Dana (a former Fitness Works employee she loved seeing, now gets to hang out with her at the Y). Swims in the pool, both at the Y and in our own pool -crazy girl!! Loves painting fingernails and toenails any chance she can get -basically anytime I say yes.

Ryan - What a long way he has come this year in pre-school! This is his first year in pre-school and I am not a good 'teacher' here at home. I was concerned that he may not pick up the whole ABC thing, writing and drawing pictures. Well, he is doing great! I love seeing his classwork come home, especially the ones where he has written something with a picture to go along with it. Loves going to pre-school and also spending time with his friends -at our house or theirs. Went to the Zoo last week, in the rain! Miserable, but fun!

Tyler - What a difference Pre-School has made for him as well. His speech is getting so much better. We can actually understand most of what he says! He loves playing Lego's with Ryan and Michael. Riding his bike in the court with his 'buddy' Noah. His favorite song to sing right now is 'Mary had a little lamb'. He sings loud and proud! A little less enthusiastic about going to the gym. Loves to go and swim but not so fond of the kid area, unless Dana is there, of course. Ryan and Amanda help convince him to go in. Recent field trip to the Zoo -last Monday in the rain! It was so cold, but we had fun. Tyler fell asleep on the tram ride at the end. Loved it!

Brenda - Worked 2 jobs the month of February. Some days were harder than others, but it's all good. Ended up 'quitting' the tax thing, I think. I'm not really sure what actually happened there. It was so slow at that office, and a couple conversations led to me to just say "I think it best that I go, and you call me when and if you get busy and need me to come back to help out." So I guess I am on-call now? Wierd... I loved the challenge of learning something new, and I actually really enjoyed doing the tax returns, but it was so slow there!! Since I was only getting 10 hours a week, I figured I would save them some money and spend some time with my kids. If they call and need me I will be happy to go back and help out. In the meantime, I have an interview tomorrow morning for another job. Am I crazy???

David - Still working in the same job. A Manager position opened up, FINALLY!! So we are hopeful that something materializes. Since he has been there, 2 have opened but then were pulled. So we are hoping the same thing doesn't happen this time. He is the Asst. Manager, but basically doing the manager's job. He works really well with his manager -they get along really well, almost too well I tell him. But we are both hopefull something will happen with this opening. Cross your fingers for him! :)

David is actually the one who suggested we get a membership at the Y, because he wanted to start working out! I never thought I'd hear him say that! David has never worked out or exercised the entire time I have known him. He is lucky to have a great metabolism and has never needed to. I am happy he wants to do it, because it gets me to the gym. We have really enjoyed going. It is a great facility and there is plenty to keep us all busy. We go almost daily! We all love it.

South Mountain

Wednesday was a half day at school, which means all the kids were home by 12:15. We decided to have a fun 'family' day. We haven't explored much around here so I went online to search for a fun park to go to. Something more than just a park, wanted trails for walking or hiking, maybe a small lake to explore or anything else that is more adventurous. I found South Mountain. All the reviews were great. Lots of trails and the pictures looked great. We packed lunches and as soon as everyone was home, we headed out on our family adventure. It wasn't really what I was expecting, but it was still fun. I need to remember that we live in the desert and there are no trees here. I knew I wasn't going to get Tilden Park -oh how I wish it could've been- but I was expecting something a little more... pretty? It was mostly just rocks and cactus.

We drove to the top and were able to look out over the valley. That was amazing! We are still in awe at how BIG the valley is. We honestly had no clue, before we came here, how big it actually was. David was looking at jobs in Peoria thinking he would commute. HA! No way! Anyway, it was fun to sit and watch the planes land at the airport, try to identify streets, cities, we even looked for the Temple -which we couldn't see, of course. It was fun to see the entire valley and to explore the mountain. The kids loved it and we had a great time.

We drove by this really cool 'house' -or what use to be a house. It was falling apart and there was no roof, but it was so cool. I wish I had kids that were willing to pose for lots of pictures, because it would have made for some really awesome shots. A better camera would have been great, too. We'll have to go back another day for that. But it was fun to shoot a few. The rock walls and the giant cracks in the cement and walls were awesome. There was also a really cool fireplace that was still standing, but I didn't get a picture. Bummer. It made me want to know the story of the old house. Someday I may find out what it is, which would be cool, but for now, it's a mystery.




It was a great day!

Tired

Oh my goodness, I am so tired lately! Maybe it's because I am spending so much time figuring out this new job while trying to find time for my family and church calling. I know it will get easier as I go along, but WOW! So much to learn in such a short amount of time. I get discouraged at times, but then David reminds me that I have never done this before and everyone else there has. 'Look how far you've come! You know more than you think!' are some of the things he tells me. I did get a pretty big compliment today. There's a gal at the 'office' that -in my opinion- seems to know the most and be the most confident (we all go to her with questions), she said tonight that she thinks I know more than the 2 guys that are working there. This is a huge compliment because the guys she is referring to have been preparing taxes for others for a few years! WOW! That's huge! I still haven't done an actual 'live' return, as I am still plugging along on my practice ones. But I am on number 15 -out of 18. The only other person who has completed more than me is the one that paid me the compliment today. Everyone else has had an extra week or more to be doing them, and the one closest to me is one behind. So I guess I am learning a lot! It's just soooo much to learn in such a short amount of time. I am enjoying the challenge and can't wait to feel a lit more comfortable! I will be doing live returns next week! Wish me luck!

On another note... We found out today that we didn't get the house. But I kinda knew that already. Turns out the thing sold for almost $20,000 over asking and it was a cash deal! Count me out of that one! lol... I liked the house, but I don't have that much cash. We were short by oh... a couple thousand or so! lol... Oh well, we are bound to find the house that is meant for us. It will happen, someday...

Tyler stayed home all week from school. He ended up having a bad fever Mon-Wed. He was on the couch almost all day, all 3 days. Then a horrible cough set in with just a small fever at night. He seems to be doing much better, but I didn't want to rush him back to school today. He got to stay home and play with Ryan. They play really well together -most of the time! It's so fun to watch and listen to them play. So I was happy to have them both home today.

It has been raining so much here. Had tornado warnings yesterday, but nothing came of it. I am loving the rain, we really need it! Love curling up with a cup of hot cocoa and a big warm blanket to read my tax books... Wait, no... Watch TV with my hunny! That's better. (Unfortunately, I was reading my tax books.) :(

Prepared my sharing time tonight, now I need to get some sleep!

An amblulance, a job and a house-maybe

Last night was a long night! I kissed David goodbye as he left for work and finished watching a show online. Checked all the kids -like I always do. Everyone is fine. Go to my room and just as I am about to turn off the light Tyler wakes up. He is gasping for air. That's the only way I know how to describe it. He is trying to take a breath, but it just isn't happening. I try to calm him, thinking he is just having a bad dream. He starts to get a terrified look in his eyes and the breathing gets worse. I try not to freak out. Called David, who had only been at work for maybe 25 minutes. I just keep saying "Do you hear him?" I'm not sure if he swallowed something and it's stuck in his throat or what is going on. I just knew his airway was constricted somehow. David tells me to take him to Urgent Care. No way! I called 911. I didn't want to strap him into a car seat and not be able to hold him if he was not able to breathe. They responded very quickly and before I knew it we had 2 police cars, a fire engine and an ambulance at my house. Ryan had waken up and was very excited to see all the guys here at the house. I'm answering a million questions, while trying to get Tyler to take a breathing treatment. He wanted NO PART of any of this, by the way. He was screaming while trying to take breaths. He was hooked up to machines, and Ryan was just having great conversations with any of them that would listen to him. They gave him a steroid shot and that seemed to help. That and the breathing treatment. He finally settled down and started breathing better. They still wanted to take him in and make sure there wasn't anything stuck in his throat. David called and I told him we were going to the hospital. So he had to come home. I asked Ryan to go wake up Michael. He couldn't get him to wake up so one of the fire fighters had to go in and wake him up. Apparently Michael was not happy about being woken up as he informed me today that he yelled at the guy! Anyway, off we go to the hospital. We had to stay for at least 2 hours after the breathing treatment to make sure he didn't start breathing wierd again. The doctor finally came in after 2 1/2 hours and said he has croupe. What? But he hasn't shown any signs of sickness at all! He was just fine all day, playing outside, no coughing, no fever, no symptoms of him feeling the least bit under the weather. The Dr. said it is normal for this to happen and they get a lot of kids brought to the ER by ambulance for this. That made me feel a little better... But I am still amazed at how it just happened so quickly! 5 kids and none of them have ever had croupe! It was so scarey!! We finally got home and fell into bed at 5am. David went back to work. So, I guess I feel better knowing I wasn't crazy for calling 911. It was reassuring to know that they see it alot. I am the type of person that doesn't take my kids to the doctor unless it is bad!! Or I know they have an ear infection and they just need the meds. I almost felt bad for wasting the time of so many people, but knowing that it was normal and I wasn't the only mother out there that didn't know what was happening made me feel better. Tyler is doing much better. You wouldn't even think he was sick. They gave him an oral steroid that they said should last 2-3 days. Long enough to get him past it. It's working like a charm!

On another note. I got a job this past week. Kinda crazy... I walked into a Liberty Tax office and asked if they were hiring. I thought "How hard could it be to prepare someone's taxes? I had a business for almost 12 years, can't be that hard. Doesn't the software just show you how to do it?" Well, they basically hired me on the spot and told me I needed to pass 3 test before I could be a preparer. They already had their classes, so I missed that opportunity to learn about tax laws and other 'boring' stuff. (lol...) I called our friend (and accountant) Jason and asked if he thought I could do it. He said yes, and then followed it up with 'You may wonder how I do it every year after you see what it is I do.' Again, my overconfidence kicked in 'Can't be that hard!' I took the first test on the banking procedures and passed on my first attempt! Oh yeah, feeling really confident now! I didn't have any study materials, I just logged onto the IRS website and pulled up a publication on tax filing. That is all I had. I logged on to take the Level One Certification Test. I knew it was timed, but when I logged in I didn't hit the 'I agree' or 'I disagree' button, so I didn't think the time had started. I got busy talking to David, doing other stuff on the internet and when I clicked back on it, the time was ticking down. Oops! I only had about an hour left. I went ahead and opened it and when I read the first question... all that confidence flew out the window! I read a few questions and decided I should probably read a bit of the publication first before attempting the test. So I logged out. The publication is almost 300 pages long. Ugh! Anyway, I took the 2nd test and passed it. Then I went back to the Certification test. It was so long!!! It took me 3 1/2 hours to take the test! David had to calm me down a few times. I was so frustrated! I would start saying I couldn't do it and he would come over and have me read him the question and help me stay calm while I found the answer. I so appreciated him that night! And... I passed!!! Woo Hoo!!! So, the owner called me the next morning and congratulated me and asked me to start that day. So, I started last Friday. During Saturday's mtg the owner asked if I was comfortable being there alone yet. Ummm... NO!!!! I had only been there 4 hours and only done 3 of the 18 practice returns I'm suppose to do. I have to say, I am scared! My confidence does increase with each practice one I do, but I just don't want to freak out in front of a client! That would be BAD! So, wish me luck on my new job!

We also put an offer on a house yesterday. I'm pretty sure we won't get it. It just went on the market Thursday, we looked at it that evening. Our realtor went out of town and got back Saturday morning. We went and looked at it again and by the time we submitted our offer -that morning- there were already 3 offers on it! We knew it would go fast! But we went ahead and submitteed one anyway. You never know. Hopefully we get it, but I am not planning on it. Can't get my hopes up. But I REALLY REALLY want it!!!!!

Dedication? Passion? Insanity? You decide

Happy New Year!!
It's New Years day, and that can only mean one thing... WAKEBOARDING! Believe it or not, we went out on the boat today! Now, I should probably start off by saying this has become a bit of a tradition. It started years ago in California and has conitinued here in Arizona. It is a bit warmer here than it was in California! David and Michael take anyone that wants to go, anyone crazy enough to go, I should say! But, this year they couldn't find anyone willing to brave the cold, so I agreed to go. I made sure it was understood that I would NOT be getting in the water, I was only there to hold the flag.
It was 63 degrees -according to the thermometer in the car. I was waiting for the temperature to rise as we got closer to the lake, but that didn't happen. We left at 12:30pm. There weren't many boats on the lake, but as we were prepping the boat to put in the water, another family pulled up. The dad made a comment that it was good to know they weren't the only crazy ones out there. He also said he wanted to start the new year off right, that's why they were there. I found it unbelievable that they had a BABY with them!!!! Baby looked to be about 7 months old. Crazy people!!! :)
David got in first. He lasted longer than I thought he would. He tried out the new wakeboard he just got. Threw a few tricks, fell a few times and eventually was cold enough and tired enough to get out.
Michael was up next. He tried putting on two wetsuits, but couldn't quite manage it. Now I think Michael was more brave, he only had a shortie wetsuit! Brrr... He jumped in and I thought he was going to die from the cold. He didn't look comfortable... He did get up and throw a few tricks. After falling twice he'd had enough. He got out and curled up in a towel followed by dad's big oversized sweatshirt!
We were off the lake at 2:30pm. A short trip, but a fun one. It was actually not too cold, especially when we were stopped, the sun shining on us and my 3 layers of long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt and blanket. I think I will go get a Hot Chocolate now!
Michael is getting quite a bit of air these days!

Ryan thinks it's summer! The kid hates long pants and long sleeve shirts!

Tyler has taken over the 'flag holder' job. He won't let go of the flag for anything! He takes his job very seriously!

We kept the front cover on so the kids could lay under it if they got cold.

Tyler spent the first little while under the seat!

The kids spent most of the time huddled under the front cover.

It was a fun day! Can't wait for summer to come and the weather to be warmer! Then I will get in!

December highlights so far...

Wow, December is almost gone! How did that happen? Well, it has beena busy month in our house. Here is a brief re-cap...
I took the kids and drove to Henderson Nevada to visit some friends in early December. It was so much fun to go see the Gametts. We have been friends for a long time and haven't seen them in a couple of years. (We moved to Fairfiend together and lived 2 doors down from each other) The drive wasn't so bad, and it was so worth it! The kids got along so well! Spent time playing at their house, went to a skatepark and visited the Temple. We were able to squeeze an extra day in, David called and said there was a storm so maybe we should stay an extra night. I was more than happy to take him up on it! It was a quick trip, but now that I have done it once, you can be sure I will be going more often. We really miss them.

Christina turned 12 on the 15th! I can hardly believe she is 12. I was just looking at some pictures on my computer and came across a few from a trip to Utah and Amanda was itty bitty and there was Christina, just 6 years old. Amazing how fast time goes. Christina has told us for a while that the only thing she wanted for her birthday was to go IN the Temple. So, we met with the Bishop and got her a recommend the Sunday before her birthday. So, Tuesday the 15th as soon as she and Michael got home from school, we went to the Temple to do baptisms. It was so fun! I haven't done baptisms since I was in Young Women's. It was an incredible thing to be there with David, Michael and Christina. To see Christina taking in everything, then to enter the water, a little timid, but very excited. She was absolutely glowing when she came out of the font. Then for me to go and have David baptize me, that was pretty cool. Michael has gone with his dad many times, so to him it wasn't as big a deal. But it sure was a great way to spend time with both of them.
Then it was home to get the other kids and head to dinner at TGIFridays. Always the restaurant of choice with the kids! Then home for cake, ice cream and presents. Upon arriving home, we found that the Beehives had visited the house and decorated our front door for her birthday. She is very excited to *finally* be in YW!! It was a great day and one I think Christina will remember forever.

Monday was Tyler's birthday. He turned 3 and has perfected holding up 3 fingers now! I don't know that he really understood it was his birthday. I asked him a few times leading up to the big day what he wanted to do for his birthday. He always replied "Blow out candles." Then I asked what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. I named off many different kinds -yellow, carrot, chocolate, etc. His reply was "I want a blue cake." I asked 'Blue cake or blue frosting?' He replied "blue cake with blue frosting." So a phone call to daddy to bring home a white cake and white frosting. We had bbq hot dogs for dinner and then opened presents. He was very happy with his gifts! Then it was time to 'Blow out the candles.' He was pretty excited, we sang, he blew them out and then we cut up the cake. David handed him his piece and he said "I don't want it" and walked away. -whaaaat??? He then announced he had to go potty. So off he went, after a moment I checked on him and he asked me to stay, so I did. He then told me he was tired and wanted to go to bed. So, David came in and I told him he wanted to go to bed. David took him to bed and just as Tyler put his head on his pillow... He threw up! He continued to throw up all night. Poor kid!! I still don't think he has had a piece of his blue cake!


I actually got my Christmas cards out on time this year! Yay! Our neighbor took our pictures and we really like them. So I was able to get them done on time this year! I think it may have been a first!!!!

Today David and I started and finished our Christmas shopping! It was a bit task, but we got it done. When we got home, we fed the kids, put them to bed and then I baked 4 different kinds of cookies for all of David's co-workers. Christina helped, but eventually got pretty tired and asked if she could go to bed. It's been a long day!

Here's wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!!

Those were the days...

Over the past few days David and I have been reminiscing about how much fun we had when we had our business in California. We decided to open a scrapbook store in 1996, got the paperwork going and opened in early 1997, the first and only Scrapbook Store in the entire Bay Area! We had no idea what would come of it, but you know, looking back, I never hesitated. I never had any doubt about what we were doing. We had a partner the first year and a half, but bought her out and started our 'own thing'. David and I worked together and actually enjoyed working together - most of the time. We really did work well together. He balanced me out and kept me grounded. I say he was my rock, he really was, and still is.

The business grew so fast! It was amazing how fast it grew. Again, I never doubted it for a minute. I actually had some landlords tell me they wouldn't rent me space because they didn't think I would be there a year later. (I wanted to send them an Anniversary Sale postcard every year!) There was no time to think about failing, failure was not an option. People would tell me that if you could make it to 7 years, then you could 'make it'. I remember thinking 7 years was so far away, but before I knew it, 7 years was the next Anniversary we were celebrating. That's when I remember realizing that 7 years was not a magical number. It was almost like I had built up in my mind that if I made it to 7 years I could relax and enjoy the ride. Boy was I wrong! I worked harder at 7 years and after than I ever did before. By 7 years scrapbooking was not a novelty anymore, stores were everywhere and we had to be creative about how to stay ahead of all the rest of the stores. Hitting 10 years was huge! Some stores had come and gone by then, but we were still there and going strong. We actually had two stores at this time. We opened our second store - about 40 minutes away - in July 2000. It was a huge undertaking. It changed a lot of the 'structure' of the business, but I never wanted to change the 'core' of the business. We hired managers for each of the stores, split our time and inventory between the stores, bought a house near the second store and ended up communting (across a toll bridge) to the first store daily, sometimes 3 times a day. Boy, I spent a lot of time in my car...

It's so easy to remember all the good times, and there were MANY!!! But the stress of it all really got to me at times. I had to try and balance the business with my family. While I had the business, I had 4 more children. (we opened before Michael turned 1) The stress was really bad at times, usually Expo time! But you know, with all the stress, we still had fun! There are so many things I want to remember about having the business. I will never forget how hard it was from time to time, but I never want to forget the good times too. I could write a novel with all the things I want to remember, but I will spare you that!

*Managers - We had some GREAT managers and some not-so-great managers. I have to say my all time favorite managers are definately Jen, Kari and Ali. They are the ones I clicked with the best. We all had our own understanding of each other and we had some FUN times. Laughed until we nearly wet our pants on many occasions. Trips to CHA with Kari and Jen were definately times I will cherish FOREVER! I am totally cracking up just thinking about all the fun trips we took! CHA was not work, it was FUN! Ok, it was also a lot of really long days, long nights, financial stress and so much walking our feet cried at night! But the fun so totally outweighed those things! Let's see, I think it was in Atlanta that Jen cried when she didn't get to meet Lisa B, but then the CK employees felt so bad they called Lisa and Lisa met Jen and Kari personally. I think Kari still has her phone number in her phone... Also in Atlanta, (oh Atlanta was a great trip!) we got a personal escort to the hotel by a street bum who wanted a tip. We got the eye-opening experience of riding the public 'rail' system from the convention center to the airport with all our luggage in tow. Can't believe we actually made it with all our luggage still in our possesion. So many fun things in Atlanta. Some managers we don't really want to remember, like the one who said I fired her because David wanted to sleep with her. Or the one who deliberately got pregnant because her husband might get deployed and then couldn't stop complaining about her husband being deployed with her being pregnant.

*Employees - I had some of the BEST employees in the world!!!!!! Seriously I did! David talked recently about how we (as a store) had a 'following' of customers, but our employees had a following too! There were many customers that would only come in when their *favorite* employee was there. We had so many employees over the years, but seriously we had some of the BEST!!! I still keep in contact with so many of them and I hope to forever!! I would list them, but there are so many, and they know who they are. I adore each one of them and I cherish our friendship. We had some fun times too. Angelica kept us laughing in Vacaville until we were all crying. Employee scraps were the best! The jokes ("so redic"), the food (ummm... Whoppers, baby!), the music (what was that station you all hated?) everything! And there were some employees we will never forget, even though we want to... (no names, sorry) 'black horse and a cherry tree' girl, 'Oh I thought you meant with the vacuum' girl, the interview of the girl that told me she wanted to be upfront about the fact that she was arrested for a hit and run, but added 'but it's not like it was a felony or anything.' And all the employees who took the job and then quit after the first day because they thought they'd be scrappbooking while working and didn't realize you actually had to 'work' while on the clock. Yeah, those were the best ones...

*Designers - We had some *bomb* designers and some bum designers over the years. It was fun to add this part to the business. I got to know a whole new side of the business and a whole bunch of gals that were very talented. There were times I am sure they wanted to wring my neck, but they really turned out some incredible pages for classes. We really were known for our classes. We shipped our class kits all over the country. We ran our classes differently than any other store I knew of. Our designers created the classes and the teachers taught the class. My theory was that some of the best designers don't make great teachers and some of the best teachers don't make great designers. So we offered the best of both. We had the best designers and the best teachers. It worked great! Unless you were the kit collator and you wanted to strangle the designers from time to time! (some of those pages were a little more labor intensive than others!) But I did meet some incredible gals that have so much talent! Some even went on to design for manufacturers and I think all of our designers were published in various magazines!

*Teachers - Like I said, we had the BEST teachers out there! The teachers had the best job, I think. I absolutely loved teaching! LOVED it!!! We kept our teachers for a long time, too. We didn't have to replace them very often. Karolyn was with us for, gosh, 8 years?? Karma was with us for about the same. I grew to love these girls as well. I was always sad when one moved and we had to replace her. I even get to see one of them regularly! Kerrie lives here in AZ now and I get to see her often! Love you girl! Karma and I actually traveled to teach at Expo's together. Now those were some fun times, too! Searching out a Mickey Head punch at all the local scrapbook stores, the long talks into the night about nonsense ('how much does a stone weigh?' I still laugh til I cry about that one). The Mickey gloves, the Disney music, the 'woo woo!' laying out all those Disney samples and selling those dang Disney kits!!! Loved going on the road and teaching! It was so fun!

*Expo's - I loved and hated Expo time. Hated them because the stress was sometimes too much to handle. (ummm... Sandylion!! What do you mean you haven't shipped my order that I ordered 2 months ago so I would for sure have it in time for the show!!!!!!!!!!!!! this conversation happening just a week before the show and the company is in CANADA!!! Go ahead an overnight everything for an additional $100 bucks or more so I can get my kits done!!!!!!! grrrr.... no I am not bitter...) So many things came up at Expo time. It was almost like they knew and they wanted to punish us. Jen would call to verify a certain item was in stock, in the quantity we needed (like 120 of them), so we could use it for a class page. She'd then order it that day and it wouldn't ship because it was out of stock! Class kits always seemed to be missing something or another -until we got Jenne as out kit collator. She was the *bomb*!!! Classes were always the most stressful part of Expo, but then when you teach 15 classes a day to 50 women in each class, there are bound to be stressful moments. That's a lot of kits to collate! My 'favorite' class moment was when I turned my back for -literally- 30 seconds and someone stole my samples! So I had to teach class with no project samples!!!! Fun times... not! But we also had a lot of fun at Expos. The flat tire on the suburban in San Jose that Mr. Shirtless changed for us (he was too eager to pose for pics -of course we had a camera!). The woman that asked Joella to sweep her booth when she was done with ours. The largest U-Haul truck available FULL of XXL bags! (It was our back stock! and Yes, we sold them all!) The line that wrapped our booth, the trip to Hawaii we 'tried' to give away (no one claimed it), the year Susan Branch was in our booth signing books, the yearly themes for the booth - Western was the most fun! We brought in hay bales and built a fence around the booth. Tropical was also a fun one. We brought in real palm trees and had them all over the booth. David taking his chair and following 'the shoplifter' all around the booth. Wherever she would stop to shop, he would set his chair down next to her and watch her -yes, she knew he was following her. She didn't steal anything from us. Oh and all the broken chairs every year. David knew where every Michael's and JoAnn's was in Pleasanton because he made many trips to get things we forgot or ran out of -paint, sponge brushes, ribbon, twine, etc. David always brought us -teachers- lunch. You see, I was in the classrooms with the teachers all day and David ran the booth. It worked really well. Karma would get her class all hyped up and they would yell to the other class, usually Karolyn or Kerrie's class. They would have 'hollering' contests between them. We had the whole building to ourselves, just for our classes. It was the best! I really did love Expo's. I hated the prep, but once we were there, it was great!

*Our Customers -We had some awesome customers. I loved our customers. I loved seeing them and missed them when I was pre-occupied with the other store. It seemed I was 6 months in one store then 6 months in the other. We had some really wonderful customers. I loved hearing their stories, we shared our memories, went through hard times together and really connected with so many of them on a personal level. So many babies born, so many new puppies and kittens, graduations, birthdays, vacations, retirements, holidays, sports, you name it. I loved hearing about their kids, their vacations and sharing in their trials. I really miss so many of our customers. We did have our share of customers I'd like to forget too. There weren't many, but there are always those 'few'. Jen and I have joked for years we need to write a book on the funny experiences we had with our customers. The girl who asked if she could pray for Jen, and then did, right there in the middle of the store! The one that brought in her 'bad girl' pictures and asked Jen to help her find paper to go with them -all while I am teaching in the other room and getting really odd looks from Jen. My personal favorite was the one that told me she knew the owner, then asked me what her name was. When I told her Brenda she responded with 'yeah, that's it' then continued telling me how she knew her well. Then when the phone rang and my employee came over and said 'Brenda, you have a call' the customer replied 'You must be a new owner.' Nope, I've been here since the beginning. The girls told me often how they would hear many times a day "I know Brenda". One of them wanted, so badly, to say 'Really? Is she nice?' I just laughed, because I know her too! :)

*Misty's Scrap Weekends -My sister would fly out every 6 months to spend a weekend scrapping in the store. She would always bring at least 1 other person with her. Usually 3 others would come. One time there were 10 that came! Phew, that was a lot of people in my tiny 1,000sq ft 2 bd 1 ba house in Pleasant Hill! It was always so much fun when she came to town. So many comments and jokes and stories. We laughed more when she was in town than any other time, I think. All the employee's loved scrapping with us. We would literally 'camp out' in the classroom the entire time she was here. It was great because we could leave our stuff out all weekend. It was the only time I would allow the employees to come into the store on Sunday to scrap. It started out as just a 2 day thing and ended up a 5 day trip in the end. It was so much fun! We'd play Bingo, get food at 2am, go home at 6am to sleep for a couple hours and come back by 10am to start all over again. It was the only time of year that I would scrap for myself. It was always a contest to see who could do the most pages -Sharisa or Kristen always won! We played phone pranks on the managers -Misty's new name will forever be LaFawnduh at any scrap weekend. There were so many inside jokes that people would just look at us and wonder what planet we came from as we would laugh so hard we were crying most of the time. I truly miss those weekends!

There are so many things I miss about having the store. We really did have a great time. We really did pour our heart and soul into those stores. We sold the Pleasant Hill store (our first store) June of 2007. We knew the end was near. We knew we needed to move -out of state- but didn't know where yet. Then in 2008 we moved to Arizona and ended up closing our Vacaville store. David and I flew back to close it out just 3 weeks after we had moved. Only I had to come back before the final day we were open. I said my goodbye's and knew it was over. I was excited to start a new life in a new state. But I have to say, the last day the store was open, I lost it around 4pm. I cried and cried and couldn't stop crying until David got home 3 days later. It actually hit me that it was over. We closed up August 30, 2008. One of my girls got married the next day. David went to the wedding and hung out with all the other girls. I remember Jen calling me from the wedding just sobbing. We cried on the phone together for at least 10 minutes. It was so sad to realize that it was all over. I was also sad I couldn't be at Angelica's wedding. I just couldn't stop crying. Everything I had known for the last -almost- 12 years was over. It seemed so final. And to be apart from David and all my employee's that I had grown to love so much. It was tough.

We did have some great times. I still miss it from time to time. And not just when I have to go pay full retail for something! I truly miss the daily conversations with employee's, customers, teachers, designers, vendors. I miss the feeling of pure joy and excitement when new product came in. I miss the challenge of finding a place for it in the store. I miss developing new classes, playing with new tools, running to Baskin Robbins for Ice Cream or Subway for lunch, I really miss teaching classes, hiring and training new employee's, employee scrap nights, celebrating birthdays, employee meetings (even if they were boring or surprise birthday parties, surprise baby showers or an actual meeting!). There is so much I do miss. I will cherish all the memories I have forever. I will always long to re-live the many wonderful moments I shared with so many people over the years. I hope to never forget all the good times and hope to go back and visit - and scrap- with those that are still there.

If you are a Remember When employee reading this, or a customer, please share your favorite memories with me. I'd love to hear them and re-live them with you. I miss you all so much! And I will be coming back for a visit very soon! :)

What a Day!!

So today was packed full of ups and downs, excitement and sheer panick, good and shall we say... not so good. It started off fine. I had amillion things to do because it was Amanda's birthday. Dropped the kids off at the Babysitting Co-op so I could run many errands without having to buckle and unbuckle the boys a million times. Ran my errands and went to pick up the boys. Well, Lara and I got talking as we do - more now that we are in the Primary Presidency together. The boys (Ryan and Tyler plus her two Kyle-5 yrs and Ryan-3 yrs) were all playing in the back yard and eventually moved to the front yard. Kyle came into the house to ask if they could ride bikes. Lara said no, I told him we were leaving in a minute. So they went back out front. The front door was open, I was sitting at her bar so I could see the boys and we could both hear them. After a couple minutes I got up and we went to get the boys so I could go home and get them lunch. They were GONE! We looked in the back yard, looked through her house, they were really GONE! A moment of unbelief that this was happening... We jumped in my car and drove around her block. Nothing. Dropped her off at her house, we got in our own cars and started driving around. I went to the park and then over to my house, NOTHING! She went further up into her neighborhood and then back toward her house, NOTHING. We split up and drove again through neighboring subdivisions, NOTHING! My body is going numb. I am such an overprotective mom. I always know where my kids are at all times. To the point that some people have laughed at me or asked why I worry so much. But I always know where they are and freak out if I can't see them at all times! So I am really starting to freak out! Lara goes to wake up her husband - he is a cop and was sleeping from working the night shift. He goes out looking. I am running thru her neighborhood knocking on random doors asking if anyone has seen 4 little boys. I run to the park yelling their names. I see the Landscapers at the park but no little boys. Lara calls the Police, it has now been 30 minutes they have been missing. My friend that I was going to meet at the park is out on her bike looking everywhere for them. In the neighborhoods, the parks, can't find them. Everytime I call her to see if she has found them she answers her phone "Did you find them?" David is coming home from work, we now have 6 officers, neighbors and ward members all looking for 4 little boys who we think are together. Finally someone calls and tells us the Landscapers at the Park said they saw 4 little boys walking up Bridlegate toward Houston 25 minutes earlier (kind of toward my house). It has now been an hour that they are missing. Lara and I are crying and starting to really lose it. They won't let us leave Lara's house. Talk about feeling helpless! We were discussing how this could have happened and how noone saw them. when I remembered telling Kyle we were going to be going home soon. I called my friend Markelle again and asked her to go to my house and go IN my house and look for them. To go IN the backyard. I had driven past my house, Lara's husband had gone to my house and looked over the side wall into the back yard and yelled for them but found nothing. She said she would. I called her back and asked if she was there yet, she had just gotten there and was checking my front door. Locked. I told her to go into the back yard, she opened the big side gate and yelled "I FOUND THEM!! They are here." Then she said to the boys that the Police were out looking for them and then told me she was going to hang up and cry. I jumped in my car and flew to my house. There were now 2 police cars and a police motorcycle at my house. Rick had gotten there too and was helping get the boys out of the back yard. They had gotten into the pool area -thanks to a ladder they had propped up against the pool fence to get to the lock on the gate. Once inside the pool area they were locked in and couldn't get out. So, here are 4 little boys who CAN'T swim locked IN the pool area! This could have gone so wrong in so many ways! Come to find out, after much prodding and questioning by both Lara and myself, basically they didn't want to stop playing together, so they ran to my house - they wanted to hurry so they could hide and keep playing. They walked 3/4 mile to get to my house! I clocked it in the car with Ryan tonight! It also came out that they were afraid of the cars, so anytime they saw one, they would hide in the bushes. Thus the reason no one could find them. I have never felt so much fear and panick in my life. I was so scared! When I did see them, I just held them. Ryan was pretty upset and wouldn't let go of me. He was crying when the officer lifted him over the fence to me and wouldn't let go until David took him in the house. I don't know if he completely understands how scared I was, but Christina said that when she walked in from school he said "I was lost and made Mommy cry today." I just know I NEVER want to experience that feeling again!
On a lighter note... Today was Amanda's Birthday! She turned 7 today! She is getting so big! I can hardly believe it! We went out to dinner and then back home to open presents and have cake & ice cream. She seemed to enjoy it all very much! Screaming with such delight of each little gift. She would scream and get so excited and then look at it and ask "what is it?" She is a nut! Amanda is such an independent littel girl. I told her the other day that she is very stubborn. She asked what stubborn meant. I told her and we discussed it for a little while. She seemed satisfied. Then tonight she announced "I am stubborn" then looked at me and asked again "what does stubborn mean? Is it good?" She makes me laugh. She is a lot of fun to have in the family. She has a great laugh and loves school. She loves to do anything crafty - loves to make cards, necklaces, draw pictures, color, etc. She loves to dance in her room to her favorite cd's -not sure which one is the favorite this week... She is reading so well, and loves to read books and have them read to her. We went to the library recently and she chose -I think- half the library!! She had a stack of books to bring home. I think we must have brought home 20 or more, just for her. I am so happy to have her in our family. Love you Amanda Panda -aka Boo!